


Wolverine Kitty

by TeazNTisanes



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies), X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Cat Ears, Darcy gets cat-adopted, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Hair Braiding, Logan is a cat, Motorcycles, Spysassin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-24 18:39:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13817127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeazNTisanes/pseuds/TeazNTisanes
Summary: Darcy is an animal person and she knows how to win over cats. Logan is a cat. Darcy knows that you don't adopt cats, cats adopt you. Or the time Darcy got drunk and Logan picked her up.





	1. Chapter 1

“Stay where you are, I’m coming to get you,” Logan’s voice rumbled in her ear. 

 

He hung up before she had a chance to respond. She looked nervously at her phone. Darcy and Logan had an interesting friendship. He pretended he was bothered by her chatter, baked goods, and physical affection; but she was pretty sure his tolerance of the aforementioned behaviors was a sign that he looked upon them favorably. Wolverines were like cats that way. 

 

However, up until this point, they had been very casual friends. Say hello when the X-men and Avengers crossed paths friends. Have a conversation when they were both in the kitchen at the same time at the Mansion friends. Not so much pick you up from a bar when your DD flaked on you friends. 

 

She sighed. That was harsh. Her designated driver was a gorgeous, redheaded spysassin. Who had Very Important Superhero Duties. Darcy should know. She was the handler for the Avengers. Natasha had not been especially pleased to leave Darcy. They were at a bar that looked public but was actually operated by Shield and exclusive to Shield and groups that occasionally worked with Shield. However, she had had one kidnapping too many for Natasha to trust just any old cab to take her home. Thus Logan’s apparently tolerated promotion from casual friend to pick you up from a bar friend. She had promised Natasha. And she was more afraid of Nat than she was embarrassed to cold call Logan for a ride. 

 

She was contemplating all the ways in which Wolverine was like a cat and staring raptly into her 6th colorful drink of the night when she got a strong whiff of cigar smoke. (So far she had: claws, territorial, zero fucks to give, how sometimes his hairstyle tufted like he had two fluffy ears sticking up, claws, and weirdly tidy for a creature that did not give a fuck.)

 

“Cupcake,” was the dry greeting she got as Logan planted on the bar stool beside her. She blinked in what she hoped was an intelligent way. He shook his head, face dour, as his eyes scanned her. “You’re trashed,” was snorted out. 

 

She attempted to deny it, but she was slurring her way through it and when she shook her head she nearly fell off the stool. She was rapidly (and sickeningly in her state) but surprisingly gently lifted over one iron hard shoulder. Logan paused for a minute, “You going to puke?” ( **TIDY** )

 

She contemplated. It was a near thing. “Nop-E,” she popped the “P.” And damn if she wasn’t proud. His leather jacket smelled good, the peppery leather she was inhaling helped settle her head and her stomach. It would be a shame to puke and ruin the fan-fucking-tastic view she had of his ass. 

 

While she was contemplating the benefits of her position and trying very hard to ignore the hard shoulder in her stomach that was encouraging a rapid exit of everything she’d put down that evening, Logan was making his way outside. She appreciated his thought as he flipped her right side up at the entry to the alley just in time for her to empty her stomach. Loudly. And repeatedly. He held her hair back in a business-like way and handed her a water when she was done. She rinsed, spat, and downed the rest of the bottle before looking at him with considerably clearer eyes. 

 

“Well that sucked. I feel like I lost all the cool points I earned catching you sneaking my baked goods,” Darcy lamented. Logan just raised an eyebrow at her, but she was familiar enough with him that she could sense some relief that she was more in possession of her faculties. 

 

“Where did you have that anyway? It definitely wasn’t your back pocket. I noted the lack of underwear lines, I’m pretty sure I’d have noticed a bottle. Do you just keep spare waters in your jacket pockets? Dude pockets are so much bigger. Damn,” Darcy said all in one breath. She didn’t know what to do with the relief. Their relationship was built on snark, sarcasm, and his refusal to admit he enjoyed her friendship. He was a cat! Maybe he had decided she was one of his people?

 

“Think you can manage not to do that for the ride back?” he asked her, ignoring her observation and nodding pointedly at her vomit on the sidewalk. He was back to his usual grumpy/disgruntled/annoyed face. 

 

She started to get excited. He had refused repeatedly and pointedly to let her anywhere near his motorcycle no matter how she begged, bribed, or badgered. ( **TERRITORIAL** ) His motorcycle may or may not have been her motivation for slowly coaxing the formation of their friendship. He had definitely decided to adopt her. Nothing short of that would get her on the back of his bike. That was a very rarely granted privilege.

 

She thanked Thor for her foresight in sticking to jeans for her night out. She wouldn’t want her ride to be ruined by trying to navigate getting on with a dress or a skirt. She caught the helmet he tossed her. 

 

Fine. She bobbled it. But it didn’t hit the ground! He snickered at her a little, but helped her fasten the chin strap. He bent down and dropped the passenger foot pegs, and then swung his leg over the back of the bike before looking at her expectantly.  

 

She hopped on behind him and giggled a little to herself as she stared at the back of his head waiting for him to start the bike. He totally had the little ear like tufts going on in his hair! ( **EARS** ) Logan ignored her, probably assuming she was still drunk giddy. Not that she wasn’t. But he was so solid his presence lent a little sobering weight to her mental state. For someone so many people found abrasive, she certainly found his presence grounding. 

 

The bike started with a rumble, and she let her thoughts go as she wrapped her arms around his waist. She let one settle on his stomach and the other rest on his thigh while her head dropped against his back. She felt all the tension in her shoulders melt away as she watched the world pass in a blur. When they parked in the tower garage, she let out a sigh of disappointment. There was something so relaxing about riding around on a bike. 

 

Unfortunately, her short lived second wind had ended. She wobbled a little as she stood and clambered off with as much grace as she could manage. Logan knocked her fumbling fingers out of the way to unhook her helmet and slide it off her head. She grinned up at him goofily and he smirked at her in return. 

 

“Well, darlin’, was it everything you hoped for?” Logan drawled at her. 

 

“I can’t say it wasn’t good while it lasted, but somehow I expected a longer ride,” Darcy taunted.

 

“With as much as you panted after my baby,” he gave his bike a proprietary pat, “didn’t think ya’d need anything longer than that.” 

 

“No such thing as too much of a good thing.” Darcy couldn’t tell if the walls were starting to rock or if she was starting to sway so she reached out and out a hand on his shoulder. There. Everything was steady again. 

 

“Come on, cupcake, you look like the first bit of wind is gonna knock your ass over.” Logan started to saunter towards the elevator with her hand tucked into his elbow. 

 

“I still don’t understand how baking them makes me one. You don’t call me brownie. I bake way more of those,” she replied continuing an old argument. Logan let her lean on him for the ride upstairs and walked her to the door of her suite. 

 

Logan waited until she got the door open then leaned down to give her a quick, dry peck on the forehead, “Night, cupcake.” And he was wandering back down the hall. 

 

She grinned to herself as she got ready for bed. Maybe he did give a fuck. She was proud her very own wolverine kitty had taken a liking to her. 


	2. Claws and Growling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More ways that Wolverine is like a kitty!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of sex and swearing. 
> 
> **Trigger Warning: Mentions of planned roofie-ing. Unpleasant discussion of emotional manipulations and planned sexual assault!**

Darcy was sniffling into her sweater sleeves in a corner of the Shield bar. This was one of the few bars approved of by Tower security. She couldn’t spend ALL her time in the Tower. At least that is what she was trying to tell herself. 

A beer was clinked down in front of her and a hard body scooted her deeper into the booth. She would have yelled, but she recognized the leather and smoke smell of her favorite Wolverine-kitty. She tried valiantly to sniffle herself dry and scrubbed her eyes with her damp sleeves. Then she tipped back a good half of the beer. Molson, she did not disapprove of the choice. 

“I didn’t realize you were in town,” she told Logan. 

“Your birthday is tomorrow,” he replied like that was an answer. She supposed that it was. “Tower was pretty empty. Stopped there first,” he commented.

“The team got called out. It looks like it might be a long mission. Shield wouldn’t take no for an answer and insisted it had to be the whole team,” Darcy informed him. He glanced at her face. 

“Ya don’t seem that torn up about it,” he observed. 

“That’s kinda how it works. That’s what they do. Also, I will get so many guilt gifts. Have you seen what a billionaire playboy philanthropist, spysassin twins, giant green guilt complex, and a Prince and soon to be Princess of Asguard can make happen in the way of spoiling? I am okay with this trade-off,” she smirked. 

“Then what’s with the water works?” he gave her a look with a raised brow. She sighed and had a few more sips of her beer. 

“Oh darn, this is empty, somebody better go get me a refill,” this was not an answer, but Logan was also not typically a person to say no to more alcohol. He sauntered off to the bar, and was back with two more beers before she could think of anything to say. He popped the tops off both, and gave her the same look. Clearly, he was not dropping this. 

“So I went on a date a few weeks ago. The guy was nice. Not a baby agent, about a mid-level one. High enough to pass the necessary background checks to know where I live, but not enough to talk about work details with. He seemed nice enough, made eye contact with me not the girls, and had a decent sense of humor. I let him take me home at the end of the night. Sex was okay, but nothing spectacular,” she glanced at Logan but he looked neither scandalized nor judgmental so she continued, “We parted on a good note in the morning, but the next day was my last visit to the X Mansion. We didn’t text much while I was away, but I was busy and he said he had a mission and dropped off the radar.” Logan nodded in remembrance. 

Darcy took a breath. “When the team got called out, Tony had Happy drop me off here. He said I should have a few drinks on him since they wouldn’t be here to celebrate with me and then take tomorrow off. When I came in, I heard some asshole talking shit about a woman. Talking about how he had charmed her and was going to use her to earn himself points at work. How easy it was to get her into bed, and how next time he planned to drop something in her drink and really party.” At this point in her story, Logan’s claws were slowly sliding from between his knuckles. (CLAWS) He was obviously struggling to contain them because they would slide out a few more inches, then back in, the claws all at different lengths. His face had gone blank and his eyes dark. Darcy figured she should probably finish, “So I was pissed at this point. I went over to yell at him. Lo and behold, it’s the same agent I thought things were going so well with.” Logan’s claws fully extended with a snikt. “So I tazed him,” Darcy concluded. 

There was a grumbly sound coming from Logan. Darcy smirked a little as she realized it was a more feline than canine growl. That would need to be added to her list. She sat quietly with Logan while they both finished their beers. She didn’t say much when she was passed a few fingers of whiskey. Logan finished a half bottle. By the time they were done, Logan had finally stopped growling. Darcy was feeling warm and significantly calmer. 

“How long is the team supposed to be gone,” Logan asked her. 

“At least a week,” she told him, “Why?”

“How do you feel about a longer ride?” he asked.

“Um abso-fucking-lutely. Are you kidding me? You know how I feel about your bike,” Darcy gushed. Best birthday ever! Logan raised an eyebrow at her again, but slid out of the booth, snagging her messenger bag from the other side. She happily trailed behind him outside to where his bike was parked obnoxiously on the sidewalk. He tucked her bag into one of his saddles and strapped what had became her helmet onto her head, grunting at her happy squirming. Darcy gleefully hopped onto the bike behind him, and snuggled into his warm back.

As the bike started with a rumble, she could already feel the tension easing out of her shoulders. She watched the city streets pass by in a blur, and soon they were crossing a bridge out of the city. Figures Logan wouldn’t be a fan of tunnels. After an hour or so of riding out of the city, Darcy tapped Logan’s thigh. He tipped his head to the side.

“How much longer is a longer ride?” she yelled over the wind. 

“First it was too short, now it’s too long. Make up your damn mind woman,” Logan barked back at her. 

“That’s not what I meant, I will happily ride as long as you are willing to let me and you know it!” she punctuated with a slap to his shoulder, “but I should probably let somebody know if you aren’t planning to have me back at the Tower anytime soon.”

Logan let her stew for a minute before yelling back, “I already talked to security. When we get there, you can decide how long you want to stay and call them to let them know when we’ll be back!” The more she wanted to know, the less inclined he would be to tell her. He was a cat through and through. Darcy really was happy to ride for as long as he’d let her though, so she snuggled in and watched the road go by.

It turns out a longer ride meant Canada.


	3. Grooming and Feeding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you feed a kitty, it adopts you. Logan braids?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the enthusiasm this story has garnered! This chapter is based off a request from georgee5.

During the ride to Canada Darcy had plenty of time to contemplate her theory. During her time in New Mexico with Jane, Darcy had noticed a lot of stray cats around town. They all looked kind of scrawny. They may not have had a ton of money for food, but Darcy had managed to stretch their budget to include both Pop Tarts and canned cat food. A few days after she started putting food out, the lab had its own dedicated pride of cats. She had named them Crookshanks, Salem, McGonagall, and Moriarty. Her small pack had adopted her in return for her regular feeding and pets. They tended to follow her around and it seemed a point of pride to them to keep the lab and trailer areas mouse free. Jane hadn't seemed to mind because this meant that they no longer had malfunctioning machines because some small rodent had chewed an integral cord. 

Darcy was thinking that maybe Logan had taken such a shine to her because she fed him. The kitchen dynamics at the X-mansion were interesting. Xavier had dinner catered and the kitchen was well stocked. For breakfast and lunch, the inhabitants seemed to have informally broken themselves into groups. It was rare for individual X-people to eat alone for every meal. Typically they had found a group to eat with and a time for the group to eat, and the members would take turns cooking. Although she had seen Logan eat with several different groups, it seemed that this only happened because he plopped down and helped himself and nobody had the balls to tell him not to. 

The first time Darcy fed Logan, that was about how it had gone. Darcy had made banana pancakes from scratch on a rainy Sunday morning. Next thing she knew, there was a "snikt" as the top three pancakes were speared from her stack and Logan was taking bites like they were a kabob. He had eyed her shrewdly, waiting for whatever she had to say. Darcy was always happy to feed people (call it her inner baba), so she had just grinned at him. She was used to cooking in the Tower, so she had made too many pancakes for just her anyway. She had not been coming to the Mansion long enough to be adopted into one of the breakfast or lunch groups yet, so she had been eating alone. Darcy didn't like eating alone, but she knew Logan's reputation for being a loner. She wanted him for a meal buddy, so she decided to make it happen. She intentionally sought him out for the next few days whenever she was finished cooking and asked him to help her out with leftovers. Before long, he was showing up in the kitchen whenever she cooked. 

This was also the first time Darcy noticed Logan's tendency to be territorial, he was VERY possessive of their informal meal group of two. He made it quite obvious to any other inhabitants of the Mansion who wandered in while Darcy was baking that they were not welcome to Darcy and Logan's group. By the time Darcy realized what he was doing, he had already made his line in the sand clear and she had too much of a soft spot for him to call him on it. Just like her little feral pack from New Mexico, Logan had adopted her and made it clear to the other kitties in town that she already belonged to somebody and they would have to find their own meal ticket. As much as he would deny it if it were to be pointed out to him, Logan also tended to follow her around when she was at the Mansion. He was subtle about it, but he always managed to be there lurking behind her when somebody doubted her credentials and tried to give her a hard time. 

Another pattern she had noticed with her kitty pride was their tendency to disdainfully groom her. If she squatted down and petted them, they returned the favor with rough licks to her hands and arms from their sandpaper tongues.

Darcy still had no idea where they were going, but Logan had stopped after about 4 hours of riding the first night at a run down but clean motel. Logan had gotten them a room and Darcy was so tired she had crashed face down onto one of the beds and immediately fallen asleep. The next day, he had woken her up with coffee and muffins. She knew better than to expect much chatter until he had at least a few cups down himself, so she had set about cleaning up. She had a rudimentary wash-up at the sink. She was confronted by an impressive combination of helmet and bed hair in the mirror. She didn't have a brush on her, and she hadn't thought to tie her hair back before getting on the bike last night. Darcy had enjoyed the wind blowing through her hair at the time, but she was certainly paying for it now. She started trying to finger comb her hair, and as a reward for her efforts, she somehow managed to get her fingers knotted into her hair. Darcy yelped as she tried to withdraw them and her hair refused to let go. A rusty chuckle from behind her let her know that Logan was amused by her struggle. She glared at him over her shoulder in the mirror. 

"C'mere," he told her, motioning in front of himself. He was propped against the pillow in the bed closest to the door. He widened his legs so she could awkwardly clamber in between with her head tilted at an odd angle since her fingers were still stuck. She felt warm callused fingers working around hers, and he gently coaxed them out of her hair. She sighed in relief and sipped at her coffee, letting him do battle with the monster eating her head. Somehow, he managed to untangle the knots in such a way that his ministrations were soothing instead of painful. It took him about an hour of gentle finger combing, and by the time he was done she had her head tipped back and her eyes closed, her empty paper cup cradled with both hands in front of her. He scooted so that he could kneel on his knees behind her, and began doing something different to her hair. She could feel him sectioning it and giving gentle tugs every now and again. It felt just as good as the finger combing, so Darcy just kept sitting and enjoying. After just a few minutes he asked for a hair tie and she gave him the one off her wrist. He had apparently braided her hair. 

"I would recommend the bathroom before we go, we have about another 6 hour drive, and there aren't a lot of places to stop," Logan told her. She ducked into the bathroom, and was amazed at his work. He had French braided her hair in a thick four strand braid starting at her crown. He may not have used his tongue, but she had just been thoroughly groomed by her Wolverine kitty. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though Wolverine is the kitty, having her hair played with makes Darcy purrrrr.


	4. Quiet in Canada

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where is Logan taking Darcy on her birthday ride?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things may start to get a little less fluffy and a little more hurt/comfort. 
> 
> Trigger Warning: References to grief and widowing.

The last part of the ride was gorgeous. Logan's route took them further from well traveled highways and onto country roads that traversed miles of hills, rivers, and trees with only the occasional small town. 

 

The last town they had passed had a logging company, lumberyard, and a bar and that was about it. From there they took roads through quiet shady forest up higher into a mountain. Pavement gave way to dirt, and trees to a meadow. Logan approached a rustic, but well cared for cabin situated along the edge of a cliff top. The cabin had a wraparound shady porch with a squeaking porch swing swaying in the breeze. 

When Logan turned off the bike and stomped inside Darcy followed. The inside of the cabin was simple but homey. The furniture was functional but clearly had been serving its purpose faithfully for awhile. It was an open space with the door leading into the kitchen which had a breakfast nook between it and a living room. There were two doors off of the living room. Darcy could see a bathroom, simple but functional in keeping with the rest of the cabin, through the open door and the other door was closed. 

"I didn't know Airbnb did the middle of nowhere Canada, " Darcy teased Logan. 

"It don't." he gruffly corrected. Logan had his back to her, guzzling a beer he'd snatched out of the fridge. Like a cat, he really only made noise when he absolutely had to. He was plenty comfortable with silence. Darcy was not that sort of creature by nature. 

"Soooooo is this a safe house then?" Darcy questioned idly while she wandered around taking in the details. She was examining a photo that was hung on the living room wall in a simple light blue frame. The photo showed a smiling woman with long, straight brown hair hanging over the shoulders of a happy looking Logan. He wasn't showing teeth, but there was a softness around his eyes Darcy had never seen and the corners of his mouth were tilted upward gently. His eyes were full of twinkling happiness and adoration. 

Just as Darcy`s eyes caught the photo, Logan responded succintly, "It's my home. "


	5. In Which Kitty is Affectionate as Long as No One Else Can See

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cats tend to hide and become strange around humans that aren't theirs. What does this mean when Wolvie-kitty and Darcy are alone?

          Darcy took one look at Logan's shuttered eyes, watching her look at the photograph and bolted back toward him. She took a flying leap and clung to his broad shoulders and waist like a monkey. Logan being Logan, he didn't so much as rock back on his heels, but looked down at her fondly. She also noticed he had not spilled a drop of his Molson and was carefully supporting her with only one arm. He sighed and wandered over to a long couch sitting in front of a long picture window with one of the most gorgeous views Darcy had ever seen. He settled into the couch with Darcy comfortably curled under one arm. They both enjoyed the view, quietly handing the beer back and forth until it was gone. No one at the Mansion would ever believe her, but Darcy was pretty sure Logan was a simple, quiet, loyal man when he was allowed to be. 

 

          Sure, Logan did a lot of hissing and spitting, but for Pete's sake, he had been treated like an unwanted stray. Until she had showed up, nobody had even tried to feed him. He hadn't been especially comfortable with her, but like any kitty he required some respect and time to warm up to her. As long as no one else was around, he was now quite affectionate. (Even in her own mind, she had to giggle a little at this further proof of his Kitty-hood.)

 

          Darcy didn't mean to, but after the long bike ride, the peaceful silence in the cabin quickly had her snoring on the couch. She woke to some kind of yummy smell and stretched. She was covered up by a slightly musty, but cozy afghan. Logan was stirring a pot at the small stove in the kitchen, and the oven light was shining onto his knees. Darcy zombie walked in, the afghan draped over her shoulders like a cape. The only response he deigned to give her was a sardonically raised eyebrow. 

 

          The dinner Logan made for them wasn't fancy, but it was plentiful and warm and Darcy's stomach was more than happy about his choice of fare. He had heated up some cans of beef stew, and got a frozen loaf of bread that popped out of the oven soft, golden, and warm. 

 

          "I ran into town to grab supplies while you were napping. If you think of anything else you'd like we can make a list," Logan told her while she was unashamedly stuffing her face like a savage. 

 

          "Thanks!" Darcy responded with a grossly full mouth. Logan only rolled his eyes at her antics. "So what are we going to be up to while we're here?" she asked curiously. 

 

          Logan looked a bit uncomfortable but told her, "Thought you could decide since it's your birthday." Darcy was touched.

 

          "What do you normally do while you're here?" she asked him. His eyes shuttered again for a moment, but he took out a cigar, clipped it, and lighted it before meeting her eyes steadily again.

 

          "Walk around in the woods, hunt, fish, and make any repairs to the camp it needs. Nothin' too spectacular," he grumbled around the fat stogie. 

 

          "That sounds fantastic!" Darcy exclaimed. She could tell he was surprised, but he didn't call her a city girl like some would have. He just nodded and yawned.

 

          They had another beer on the couch, and the next thing Darcy knew, Logan was carrying her into the other small room, which turned out to be a bedroom. He tucked her under the covers and then crawled in on the other side. He settled in flat on his back with his hands folded on his chest. Darcy could see the blinking gleam of his eyes in the dark. She had a feeling he didn't normally sleep much, but this place seemed to make him especially sad. Before she could contemplate too much further, her heavy eyelids were drooping again and she was asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think we will have one more chapter at the cabin, with a few surprises in store! Then yalls comments have given me some ideas for something a little fluffier after that. Thanks for reading!


	6. Pulling the Kitty's Tail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peaceful breaks can't last forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey yall! I know it's been awhile. Hope you like this little chapter. I was meaning to write more, but got kind of stuck. I figured I would throw this out there while I work out what happens next.

          When Darcy woke the next morning, Logan was lazily watching some deer grazing outside the window in the early morning fog. His feet were propped up and his arms crossed behind his head. She could smell the coffee he had started for her, probably already having downed a pot himself. 

 

          Darcy helped herself to a mug and cuddled into his side with a yawn. He absentmindedly twirled her hair where it had come loose from his latest braid. He had packed her a bag of underthings, one pair of jeans, and leggings. A lot of her oversize sweaters and flannels came from him anyway. He had mentioned once to her that the animal side of his anatomy appreciated that she allowed him to "scent" her and it helped keep him grounded on bad days. 

 

          It was a simple enough favor and Darcy had never been one to deny her friends comfort where they could find it. 

 

          This morning Darcy had dressed in jeans, a wife beater of Logan's, and topped it with one of his flannels. He was apparently in a teasing mood because he braided her hair in pigtails and smirked at her when she looked ready to protest so she just didn't give him the satisfaction. Instead, she twirled the pigtails into slightly older, punky looking braided messy buns and stuck her tongue out at him. 

 

          They had a quiet breakfast where Logan explained he'd like to walk the paths of the property and see how things were since the last time he visited. If there were any trees down, he would collect them for firewood and take some time to cut and chop them. He promised her a fire and marshmallows later. 

 

          Darcy enjoyed wandering behind and around Logan as he ambled through the woods. She climbed up trees, pointed out butterflies and spider webs, and peeled her shoes off to dip her toes into a little creek merrily burbling away beside one bend in the path they walked. Logan had lost a lot of the tightness he carried in his shoulders and around his eyes at the mansion. Instead he gazed at her with quiet appreciation and amiable companionship. 

 

          He growled at her when she kicked water at him (apparently this kitty preferred to stay dry, add that to her mental list) and he scooped her over his shoulder and spun her around until she begged for mercy. 

 

          Breathless, a little sunburnt, and smiling they were headed back to Logan's camp when he started to scowl. 

 

          Before she could even ask he gave her a stern look and a "keep yer mouth shut and let me handle this. Go on inside when we get back, I'll be in before ya have lunch finished." They stepped into the yard just as he was finished to find a group of men who were dressed in stained and torn flannels, ratty jeans, and worn boots. Some had bloodshot eyes, thinning hair, were spitting chew obnoxiously and otherwise behaving like cartoonish rednecks. Despite her instincts and desire to snark, Darcy swanned through the group, up the porch steps, and inside before they even had time to properly gawk at her cleavage. 

 

          Darcy washed up at the sink, trying to be quiet and ears straining desperately to eavesdrop. She couldn't make out what Logan was saying beyond the growly tone that betrayed his irritation. She was catching a word here and there from his unexpected visitors though, "howdy, neighbor.....been a long time....now, now everybody....stubborn bastard....money....lovely lady..." 

 

          Darcy's concentration was broken when a callused hand that smelled of tobacco and urine was clamped over her mouth. Logan's hearing was good enough that he would have heard the muffled sounds of her struggle, except a moment later she felt a pinch on her arm. Before her vision faded too much, she managed to flail enough to knock over some pots and pans and a few dishes. She heard the dishes shatter as if from the end of a tunnel, but was pretty sure she clipped one hard enough with her foot to slice it open. 


	7. Hospital Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When your kitty isn't a fan of cages.

          There was a monotonous beeping blaring obnoxiously in Darcy's ear. She wasn't immediately aware of where she was, so it seemed like she'd gotten dragged into something Not Good again. She figured it was better to get a lay of the land so she popped her eyes open, before immediately squinting as they teared up in protest. She heard a gravelly laugh at her mumbled hoarse complaints. 

 

          She wobbled her head over and saw Logan. He was slouched down but sitting at an awkward angle with both hands behind his back.

 

          "You're going to have to get your own water, cupcake," he told her with a sardonic tilt of his head. 

 

          Apparently the awkward angle was due to handcuffs then. She struggled up and poured herself a cup from the pitcher within reach. This gave her a little time to think and she was able to recall, for the most part, what had happened. 

 

          "How long have I been out?" she asked.

 

          "'Bout 4 hours," he told her. 

 

          "Want to share with the class why you're handcuffed?" now it was her turn to raise an eyebrow at him,

 

          Logan looked distinctly uncomfortable and mumbled his answer with his gaze around his belt buckle. 

 

          "All the hillbumpkins are dead?" she commented more than questioned faintly. Apparently hearing the crash in the house he had shared with his late wife had not been a pleasant sound for Logan and it had triggered a bit of a blind rage. 

 

          "How are you here?" she asked him.

 

          Looking slightly offended Logan snapped, "They weren't even well trained! The only reason the second group got as far as they did was that they put you directly in a truck and drove. By the time I got to the cabin they were already pulling away and it took me a second to catch up. Couldn't exactly run them off the road knowing you were in the..."

 

          Darcy interrupted, "Woah, woah. No one is questioning your badassery. How are you here, in my hospital room instead of in jail?" Logan looked a bit sheepish. 

 

          "The jail is currently suffering a shortage of cells," was drawled in answer to her question. Not by Logan, but by someone who looked like a deputy going by the uniform and cool black pants, "Your friend promised to stop shredding things if he could be allowed to sit with you until someone else could get here." The man did not look amused. Darcy gave Logan a look and he shrugged. He started to sit up but the deputy had his gun out in a flash and Logan froze. 

 

          "Oh for Pete's sake, he can't even shift his weight! I have had a traumatic experience and I would like a hug from my friend!" Darcy poured on the waterworks and the deputy suddenly looked distinctly disturbed and at least lowered his gun even if he didn't put it away. Logan snickered and slid over next to her in the bed. She was faking the tears, but Darcy was a little shaken and wondered what they had shot her up with. She was not a fan of being injected against her will. It was her least favorite part of kidnappings. She didn't seem to be breaking out or itchy so at least this time it wasn't something she was allergic to. She curled into a ball half on Logan's lap and buried her face under his chin. She could feel him glaring over her head at the deputy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are we liking the sibling fluff vibe or thinking this might have a more romantic angle?


	8. Spider Kitty

          The next time Darcy woke up, the room was dim with just a few rays of golden light sneaking in through the window. She could hear the faint jingling as Logan's shifting jostled his handcuffs so she wasn't too worried. However, when she recognized the voice he was quietly conversing with she sat bolt upright in the bed. 

 

          "Nat!" she cried happily, clambering out of the bed to throw her arms around the other woman. Natasha indulged her in a tight, warm hug before getting her settled back into her bed and leaning against the side of it. She smirked knowingly as Darcy eyeballed her speculatively. 

 

         "Could I help you with something, my lovely trouble prone friend?"

 

          "I know you have something hidden away for me somewhere."

 

          "Why would that be? Hm?"

 

          "Because while you could live with the guilt of missing my birthday, Clint never could," Darcy smirked right back. Natasha only sighed and pulled out a box wrapped in heavy purple paper. 

 

          "He wrapped, but don't worry I supervised our choice for what's inside," Natasha grinned fondly at Darcy while she was distracted by the gift and knew Logan was thoughtfully observing their interaction from the bedside chair. Natasha looked up at him, her face seamlessly switching to an impassive stare. 

Darcy gasped with pleasure as she gently pulled the delicate, matching purple tissue paper aside. Inside the box was a chunky bead necklace made from what appeared to be rough stones that had only been gently tumbled before being pierced through and strung. She could see rose and white quartz, amethyst, aquamarine, and several more. The centerpiece of the charm was a mostly symmetrical rose quartz pendant. Beneath the necklace were a pair of delicate, matching quartz dangle earrings. "These are gorgeous, Nat," Darcy threw her arms around the redhead again and was rewarded with a light pat on the shoulder. 

"So, my dove, I seem to recall that when I left, you were ensconced in the Tower and contemplating a trip out to the bar," Natasha was eyeing her shrewdly, "Could you not find any trouble to your liking in Manhattan?" 

"First of all, Nat, you know you took all the trouble with you. We've had this conversation before. I'm not trouble. I am just a convenient place for the overflow to collect," she sighed as Natasha raised a single brow. "And Logan showed up as a surprise for my birthday?" she concluded hopeful that this conversation could be dropped before she had to get into the details of why Wolverine had essentially scooped her up and run. She had a feeling that would not be the end of it. If anyone on the Avengers shared in the cat-like traits of her best friend, it would be Natasha. And Natasha was not pleased that Darcy was not where she had been left. Natasha was quite particular once she had bonded with Darcy that Darcy be kept safe at all costs. She didn't admit it, but she had a tendency to panic and deal particularly violent retribution when Darcy was snatched from whatever safe space Natasha had holed her up in. Nat had been the one to deal with all the kidnappers Darcy had faced thus far, and Darcy would admit to not a small amount of satisfaction at the brutality her protective streak wrought. 

Natasha eyed Logan again and he chuckled hoarsely at her speculation. Darcy had a brief moment of panic where she thought he might reveal the state he had found her in at the bar, but he glanced at her and one look at her expression seemed to convince him that would be cruel. Instead he shrugged, "You know how cupcake feels about my bike, I thought it would be a treat to take her on a longer ride. And if you objected to that, maybe somebody should have been left behind to keep her company." He wasn't particularly cruel about the accusation, but Logan was making a point. Natasha wasn't the only protective kitty in her life. Darcy's foot was starting to throb as whatever lingering anesthetic effects of her snatchers injection wore off. She zoned out, enjoying just the cadence of her friends' conversation, as she distracted herself with admiring the shiny bauble she'd been gifted. Natasha gently gathered her hair and clipped the necklace on for her when she noticed Darcy struggling with it. 

Darcy finally sighed and gathered the courage to ask, "So is there a reason I don't have the usual overcrowding issue in my room? And why is Logan still chained up?" She listened as Natasha explained that she had volunteered to come home earlier than the other Avengers since she still tried to keep a low public profile. They were finishing with clean up and interviews but she had wanted to surprise Darcy. She had not called to inform them of the situation because she wanted to see and assess Darcy with her own eyes before panicking the rest of the team. That did not mean that their arrival wasn't imminent, although she was waiting until they were at least state-side to reveal Darcy's location. Tony would better be able to handle the legal end of Logan's troubles, that's what his team of lawyers was for. By the end of Nat's explanation, Darcy was starting to get worn out again. 

Natasha settled the annoyingly thin hospital blanket more securely over her and stroked her hand once over Darcy's hair. Darcy settled in with a sigh and resigned herself to the pandemonium that was sure to ensue when the rest of her adoptive family descended. She would take the nap while she could get it.

**Author's Note:**

> I love comments and welcome constructive criticism! I have noticed several subscriptions. I was planning for this to be a one-shot, mostly because this was just me following a random muse. However, I could be convinced to take it further if anyone has a direction they'd like to see it go. If so, please comment!


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